Skyrim New DLC: Hearthfire

The Hearthfire rumors for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim were apparently true as Bethesda Softworks officially announced the DLC for the Xbox 360 this week. PS3 and PC releases will come later as usual.

According to Bethesda Softworks players can purchase land and build their own home from the ground up – from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden, and more. Use all-new tools like the drafting table and carpenter’s workbench to transform quarried stone, clay, and sawn logs into structures and furnishings. Players can even transform their house into a home by adopting children.

Other Key Features Include:

Choose Your Land – Choose from property in the salt marshes of Hjaalmarch, the forests of Falkreath, or the vast tundra of The Pale. For the more ambitious landowner, purchase multiple plots and start building a real estate empire. It seems like you can buy your home for $5,000 gold from the Jarl ofDawnstar, and the Steward ofFalkreath. While you are in a town and not a Thane you will receive a letter from a courier inviting you to visit one of the other towns. If you are a Thane of one of the holds the courier will not appear.

Customize Your Home – Expand your home with a variety of room combinations including an armory, alchemy tower, kitchen, trophy room and more. Grow plants in your new greenhouse, cultivate slaughterfish in the fish hatchery, house your Arcane Enchanter in the enchanting tower, or display your latest conquest in the trophy room. Add additional features like stables, mills, smelters, gardens and more.

New Objectives and Interactions – Guard your home from unwanted visitors like marauding kidnappers, armed bandits, and skeever infestations. Turn almost any follower into your personal steward to improve and protect your home. Or if you require more help, hire a personal bard or carriage driver to ease the burdens of home ownership.

Hearthfire will be a smaller expansion to Skyrim compared to Dawnguard as it will cost only 400 MS Points ($5). It will hit the Xbox 360 on Tuesday September 4, 2012 and will release to the PS3 and PC around a month later. However, please keep in mind that Dawnguard still hasn’t been released for the PS3 yet so things aren’t set in stone. Check out the trailer below to see more about it!

I don’t know about you guys but I may or may not check out this DLC. Having my own land and having a huge house sounds awesome but I have enough trouble with Lydia in our adventures that adopting children and defending the house seems like a hassle for this Dovahkiin girl who is never home.